Southampton have already held talks with Portuguese manager Paulo Sousa over the possibility of him replacing Mark Hughes on the south coast.
The Saints are languishing at the bottom of the Premier League table, only above Fulham and Cardiff City on goal difference, but they still occupy the final relegation place.
Current manager Hughes has come under heavy criticism this season despite his ability to keep Southampton outside of the drop zone last year.
And the Times claim that former Leicester City and QPR manager Sousa, who was in attendance as Southampton lost 3-2 to Fulham on Saturday, is favourite to replace Hughes if he is sacked by the club.